Frozen
by Ruka Jaganshi
Summary: Hiei sleeps away due to a Koorimestyle curse. Similarly to Sleeping Beauty, he can be awoken only by the kiss of true love. Guess who will produce it.
1. Cruel

Yay! Hello. (: Nah, here's a HieiMukuro story from the infamous Ruka Jaganshi. At first I wanted it to be a HieiYouko fanfic, but ah well. There are too many HieiKumara and HieiYouko fics anyway. It starts to bore me slightly. So here is a Mukuro romance. After this, I will definitely write a MukuroRaizen too. Please read that one too! (:

* * *

Hiei let the tears flow down his face. Clear, crystal-white tears were those; they did not transform into beautiful jewels worth several lives and worlds, and still they held the magnitude of pain in themselves. 

Heavy tears were those; the wind, so strong it attempted tear the white scarf off the jaganshi's shoulders, was not able to steal them away.

His form was so stooped. So sad. So small. The wind was tearing his dark cloak so forcefully. He still looked small, and he himself was not moving an inch, despite the fact that his clothes made him appear as if he was tugged at mercilessly.

He was terribly cold. He heard his teeth, if not his other bones chatter violently. Was it really from the chilling atmosphere? Or was the reason something else, which made his nails dig into his palms painfully? Was it because he was wounded?

Because he was. The scar was quite fresh, and it was bleeding intensely. Somewhere around his heart. Maybe this closeness, and also the enormous loss of blood made him weaker and weaker every minute.

How he received the wound, he did not remember. How he could be so incautious was a mystery as well. It was there. Since when? It must have happened a short while ago. Someday. On a day full of sunshine, birds, bees, flowers, spring.

The storm came suddenly. The rain was not here yet, but it would arrive soon. The air indicated it; it was about to split his head.

And the human couples turning around, afraid of getting soaked, running to search for hiding from the approaching hail.

And that girl. That girl who was with _him_. They were walking under the cherry trees like the other couples. Hiei followed them, hiding his _ki_ from meta-humans who could sense him without having anything to do with him, waiting for the girl to leave Kurama finally alone, so that he can talk to him, tell him he came back from Makai; that Mukuro is here, too, that she came after him, he had no clue why.

But the girl did not appear to have the intention of leaving soon. In fact, they were chatting merrily under the shadow of the trees. Either she was an extremely sticky fangirl or Kurama had something to discuss with her, that is what the fire demon thought.

Until the kiss.

Kurama kissed that human girl. On her lips. Gently, only for a moment of breath.

It was cruel; the cruelest of all pains the jaganshi had experienced. He could endure pain well. This one was strange.

He did not have the strength, nor the courage to check the wound under his cloak heavy as if it was soaked.

Right.

It was raining.

Again: since when…?

"…the hell are you still doing out here?" Mukuro asked behind him, walking closer, taking a look at the humans, then the fox. Her endlessly dark eyes widened slightly, but a moment later her stare found the jaganshi again. "You're freezing. Come."

Hiei's lips tightened as he lowered his head, not responding to the urging touch on his shoulder. The woman lifted her eyebrow. "You won't? Alright. Then it's a command. We need you on the board."

The red orbs gazed towards the fox demon one more time before Hiei let Mukuro take his arm and lead him away.

Walking was hard, and it was freezing cold, and his body was heavy like lead. He heard Mukuro's voice talk to him through some kind of a mist in his brain. She was talking to him all the way; about this damned rain, about the stupid human weather with hail and such; about that they have to reach the gate to the demon realm before the storm really arrives. About how cold _he_ was. She even asked if he was wounded to move like a thousand year old gaffer.

Once in the dark, warm, dry room, he let his wet clothes slip down from his limp body.

"To hell with you." Mukuro retorted in the meantime. "I really believed you had a wound. Why were you babbling about that stab in your chest? See, it's nothing there; you're fit as a fiddle."

There was no wound…?

Was he talking…?

Hiei felt his body fall on the pillows where Mukuro indicated him. He felt really, really heavy. And sleepy. Hardly did he realize that a warm blanket covered him before he doze off, the throbbing of the invisible wound fading away along with his consciousness.

Mukuro surpassed as she stood up next to the bed.

"It's cruel." she said almost soundlessly.

* * *

TBC (; 


	2. Obtuse

Kurama said his goodbye to the girl of his dreams calmly and cheerfully. Then, as soon as she walked out of sight, he rushed to the Gate with ultimate speed, sweat creeping down his temple, fear crouching up his stomach, angst blocking his muscles. Still he could speed up when he took sight of the palace that resembled something like a bug with countless legs.

A dark room was where he stopped; Mukuro's figure stood there; her _ki_ was wavering as if she was about to attack him; but she did not move, although Kurama was still prepared for anything.

But the woman turned around and waved him to follow. "He's in here." she announced.

Kurama stood next to the bed, examining the sleeping figure covered safely into the blankets and soft pillows.

"It happened because of his koorime blood." Mukuro said from behind.

The fox demon turned to look at her. "If I'm right, koorimes sleep until the kiss of true love."

"Right." a flash shot through the woman's healthy eye. "And you also know what causes them so sleep away like this."

The green eyes turned suddenly away; Kurama's voice got slightly sour as he answered.

"You don't assume that I am his true love, do you?"

"Let's just try it."

"Let's just not."

"Do you want him to die so eagerly?"

"You seem to be mad over something, Mukuro."

"If he dies, it will be much easier for you; there won't be anyone you should feel guilty for because you left him alone for your girl."

"Is it because _your_ kiss wasn't successful?"

"I don't have to kiss him to know I'm not the one who should. In contrast with someone who's just afraid of getting…"

"Look, I knew he was there. I also felt his _ki_ waver and fade. I still don't think…"

"Your human girl; is she capable of anything?"

"She's a normal human…"

"Aren't you afraid something might happen to her? Like you worry for your mother?"

"Get off them, I don't tell you twice."

"You know that I don't give a damn to your mother, so I won't tire myself. The rest is up to you."

Kurama watched the woman leave the room, rage building up inside him. But he could moderate himself. And he was more worried for the sleeping jaganshi. Somehow it was strange that this curse that ruled among the snow princesses reached _him_, who looked and acted in ways far from the silent, good-hearted koorimes.

This grudge served as one of the main reasons for them to live separated, not knowing love. This grudge made them fear from anything like that; it made it a crime to try to live differently.

"Koorimes have a heart as sensible as a small flower." Kurama noted almost soundlessly while he sank down to be closer to the sleeping figure. "If it breaks, they fall asleep, escaping from the pain. It's really strange that it happened to you. You've been so tough in your whole life; you've never even felt anything. You know, now I wonder if I did right. Meeting you, joining you. At that time, I swore to make you feel. It was because I _felt_ you can do it, and I didn't understand why you were so immune against everything. You've certainly not become like that to defend yourself from this weakness you inherited from your mother. I'm not even sure if you knew of it even. Honestly, I didn't care, I just knew you _can_ feel and I waned to show it to you. It might be a mistake… I should have known; I did know it, and I still made you go through this. I'm sorry. I wish you get your kiss of true love before it's too late. I'm not the one to give it to you."

Despite his words, the fox demon leaned forward and placed a gentle, warm kiss on the jaganshi's lips. A few moments passed as he watched the unmoving face, slight disappointment building up into a sigh.

"Maybe you thought I'd be the one. That's a normal reaction of a loner personality who suddenly gets more attention that generally, you know. You don't know, but it doesn't matter. I really hope that your true one realizes it before you sleep away forever. You have about one day, as far as I know. I can't do anything but to think of you. I cannot stay by your side. Not since you left with Mukuro on _that_ day, after your battle with her. Before that, maybe, bust just maybe, something could have happened. I could as well be the one to kiss you alive today. But it did not happen, and it's okay as it is. It hurts me a little, I don't know if it is as terrible as it was for you yesterday, but it's over now. I've stepped through my daydreams about you. Even if I know you thought about me during your long-wished trainings with Mukuro, your choice decided our fate, and we can never be the same as before. I guess you understand it. If not, then you will. As soon as you wake up from your current nightmares. _If_ you wake up, of course."

Kurama stood up.

"Good luck, Hiei." He said quietly before he left the room.

* * *

Hmmmmm... I wonder if it should really be MukuroHiei? Should I put in a turning point where Kurama's Youko part gives word to his own desires...? Or should Kuwabara-kun as the Prince/Hero step into the story instead? (this was my beloved Kucchan's idea XP) Or someone else? Hmmmmm... a difficult choice... 


	3. Blue

Slaughtering one monster after the other, that is what he was doing. Most of them died after a few cuts. Most of them attacked him only out of fear; to defend themselves from the evil that hid within his soul.

He was thirsty. Thirsty for blood. Anyone's blood.

Anyone's.

He ran through forests, fields, seashores, cliffs, murdering every moving creature on his way. There were many of them; much more than in his early years when he walked around these regions showing off with his Hirui stone, so that every dumb demons came to him, right into the brilliant trap.

Miles swished away under him within minutes, but he felt he was getting slower and slower. Not because he wanted to. Nor because he got tired.

He felt he reached his destination; a place he left twice and never wanted to return to again.

Numbing cold alpine air surrounded him, large snow flakes swirled with the wind, speckling his raven-colored cloak wit pure white, not melting when they touched his face. He wandered in familiar streets and houses, all of them crystal blue as if they were built from ice. He remembered every single window, every corner, it never changed since he came here last time.

The only difference was that this town did not looked deserted any more. The koorimes did not start to flee when they saw him; in fact, they all stood there, their looks never leaving him, their forms unmoving, their face calm as ever. They really didn't look dangerous.

The chilling aura they could produce was still there around them all. They signaled it with this instead of words: _Leave. Now. _

He walked right into the crowd of the beautiful ice princesses; strange as it was, they gave him way. He felt the enormous power in their _ki_, he felt he could freeze to death instantly if he would attack any of them. But he did not have such an intention. He didn't even really know why he was here. The intention of killing evaporated from his mind the moment he arrived. Was it because of the cold? Or something else?

He knew that this chilling aura did not only freeze the weaker enemies but it could also lower the fighting spirit in the ones who did not die quickly. Hiei could have acquired that knowledge too, but somehow it was no surprise he was not interested in these koorime stuff. The weapons of the ice princesses were mostly based on defense. They were too peaceful creatures. He did not desire to become like them. He wanted to become anything but that.

Still he could not escape the fact that he had koorime blood flowing in his veins. No one can deny their blood.

_He_ could hide it quite well if he wanted to. Even if he did not want to, since there were no outer signs indicating his origin. A small, dark and evil fire demon, that is how everyone got to know him, and with that, he achieved everything he would dream of.

Well, almost. He was still not the greatest fighter in the Universe; he was not feared by everyone, he didn't even win the latest tournament. He lost even against Mukuro.

Although that fight made him happier than any previous battles. Fighting with her was… a challenge. Mukuro was a challenge from the moment she sent the message to him, inviting him to be her secondary commander. Kurama's words planted an idea in his mind:

_Be careful. You must train a lot before going there; they say if you join Mukuro, you will have to fight for your life. _

Now if _that_ was not for him, then nothing.

He despised Mukuro since he met her. He had no clue then, but thinking back, it was still written all over her that she was a woman. He sensed it somehow, without knowing. And it was so obvious, of course. A woman stays a woman; camouflage won't help it.

That is what he told her during their battle at the tournament. He told it to her to piss her off in sake of the fight, but to be honest, he did not particularly care by that time. Because during his training, he was forced to spend time with her, over and over. And she _was_ something else than his previous opponents, but she was strong at the same time. She knew how to make him stronger; she knew what he needed. A remarkable occurrence in case of a woman. But again, she was a demon, just like everyone else here, and she was a skilled one. She knew many things, and not only about fight, which often made Hiei hate her even more.

But between such occasions, he was desperate to see that he began hating her a tiny bit less.

Hell, it had to be a normal reaction, really; otherwise it had not happened twice in a lifetime.

The first time, it was Kurama who seemed to read the jaganshi's mind. He always understood him so annoyingly well, and Hiei found he liked being understood by this one single person he could trust in not using this knowledge against him.

He never thought Mukuro would provoke him with doing exactly the same.

There was a tiny difference between these two, though. Kurama always detected his soft side and never missed to comment it with some words, a half-smile, a flash of cheer in his eyes. Mukuro saw into the darkest corners of his heart, and Hiei got creatures he could not slay down at his likings, only at the sacrifice of much sweat, blood, fight.

Mukuro always seemed to sense how much rest he needed. He got always less break than that.

Then when he got that overly dumb task to _guide_ lost humans back to their own world, in the meantime Mukuro sent him on missions he could fill out all his rage at. It was a mischievous thing, feeding the dark part of someone's soul.

He loved the feeling.

And then, the bloody missions grew less and less.

Why…?

Were arrogant higher-class bastards growing less, too?

Or was Mukuro trying to break him of his bad habits? _Him_?

He did not hesitate expressing this assumption of his at Mukuro's.

At which she smiled ever so sweetly, and told him that he began to feel himself too much at home in _her_ room. That he ought to take his boots off her table, or otherwise she will have to take Raizen's fate by losing her appetite for an eternity.

Hiei did not give her the pleasure of seeing him astonished. With a shrugging _hn_, he left the room, along with the palace, and headed for the human world. To meet Kurama, to linger at his side for a while like he used to do earlier; and even if he came back, he did not intend to return to Mukuro. Ever.

It really annoyed him when he realized the woman followed him soon, without a word of comment or explanation. But he did not care; from now on, he had other ways to go. And he went on his own way which led him to the fox.

The storm was just about to break out.

* * *

**Fox soul:** We'll see. #_wink_# 

Now about one chapter is left I guess... and in that, it will finally clear up who should be Hiei's lovey-dovey! Yeah! XD

Or is it clear already...? #_blush_# Hell I'm so simple...


End file.
